Storied Dances

A dancer tells a story through vivid facial expressions and precise, quick hand gestures, while her jewel-toned costume flares around her and the tiny brass bells at her ankles jangle with each step. Even if you don’t know the meaning of the movements, they draw you into the world of the dancer-storyteller, who lets the audience’s response lead her story and feed her bright invention.

This is kathak, one of six forms of classical Indian dance. If you haven’t seen classical Indian dance in the Twin Cities yet, you’re missing out. With more than 20,000 people of Indian descent in the area and three major and several smaller Indian dance companies, the Twin Cities is a national center for classical Indian styles. Begin or deepen your experience of these fascinating dance forms this month as Katha Dance Theatre returns to the cultural origins of kathak in Sufism Remembered.

According to Katha founder and artistic director Rita Mustaphi, kathak (the root katha means “story”) developed in northern India as many as 2,000 years ago. When northern India fell under Muslim rule, kathak became influenced by Muslim thought.

Sufism, a mystical offshoot of Islam, is described by Mustaphi as being concerned with the “core value of all religion, universal love.” The religion’s emphasis on finding the eternal in the moment feeds into the improvisation of Sufi poets (such as Rumi) and kathak dancers, for whom the movements are simultaneously spiritual and performative. “When we dance,” Mustaphi says, “it is not just dancing for the audience. It is dancing for us. The arts are an expression of the religion and its poetry and sentiment.”

Sadly, Mustaphi sees these rich roots severed today. Where overlapping cultures once joined, they now clash, and the peaceful synthesis is forgotten. With Sufism Remembered, she hopes to honor Sufi poetry and art and convey this affirmative connection between life, art, and spirituality to her audience members, no matter their heritage.

Mustaphi knows she can’t change the world, but hopes she can remind people that beneath their differences lie similarities and peaceful coexistence. “If I can give that message out through this concert, that will be my achievement.” Nov. 16–19. Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. NE, Mpls., 612-209-6689

Reach Lightsey Darst at lightseyd@msn.com.